The vast majority of home roofing is done with either an asphalt composite shingle or a wood shingle. The composite shingle has significant cost, service life and flammability advantages over the wood shingle. However, the wood shingle is seen by many to be a much more desirable roofing material for aesthetic purposes.
One important aesthetic advantage of the wood shingle is its greater thickness relative to the composite shingle. Another advantage is the irregularity of the wood shingles. These features provide a pleasing layered look to the roof. While composite shingles could be made thicker, to compare in thickness with the wood shingle, the increase in weight would be unacceptable. Even so, it would be a significant advantage to combine the non-flammable, inexpensive features of the composite shingle with the attractive layering effect of the wooden shingle.